Like many of you on F.T., I've traveled extensively for a very long time.
I've been to some cities so many times I could move there tomorrow and feel right at home.

If I've been to a city so often that I know most of the restaurants, then I just dine where I know I like from years upon years of experience.
If I want someplace new, I ask business colleagues that live there. They never steer me wrong. I do the same for new cities or towns that I've not been to before. I ask colleagues and associates where they dine. Some hotel concierge have directed me well. Yes, I know these directions can be fabricated, but it's a good benchmark in many cases.

I'm not a huge fan of online reviews, as was previously stated, they can be biased.